PFOX (Parents and Friends Of eX-gays) Billboard in Waco, Texas promoting conversion therapy. Uploaded to the PFOX website on May 18th, 2017

You are sitting in the pews of an old church in the mountains. The seats are full of people, young and old. You can see the fear on their faces, outlined by the sunlight streaming in through tiny stained glass windows that shower you and your peers with colorful light.

In front of you, a camp counselor is talking to the group. He is speaking about how, although you are struggling with “SSA” (same-sex attraction) you must try to repent, you must try to see why your ways are wrong, and ungodly. He’s telling you to change who you are, as if it’s just a choice to be made. It’s not.

Although this is a dramatic representation, similar scenarios play out in conversion camps or conversion therapist’s offices nearly every day in 35 states in the US. In the graphic below, all states besides the ones colored dark green have no laws banning minors from being subjected to harmful sexuality reassignment practices.

Graphic provided by the Movement Advancement Project (http://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/conversion_therapy)

What are these ‘harmful sexuality reassignment practices’ I’m talking about, you wonder? In the UCLA School of Law’s words, it is “…treatment grounded in the belief that being LGBT is abnormal. It is intended to change the sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression of LGBT people” (Mallory, Brown, Conran 2018).

The people who perform this treatment are usually unlicensed, homophobic individuals, some of which are actually self-proclaimed “ex-gays” themselves. These people use scientifically ineffective, dangerous, and inhumane techniques to get LGBT people to “conform”, or convert to heterosexuality or cisgenderism, techniques such as “behavioral, cognitive, [or] psychoanalytic [therapy], and other practices that try to change or reduce same-sex attraction or alter a person’s gender identity” (Born Perfect: The Facts About Conversion Therapy).

Unfortunately, that’s not the worst of it. Many years ago, these “counselors” used much harsher techniques, such as “institutionalization, castration, and electroconvulsive shock therapy to try to stop people from being LGBT.” These methods of conversion “therapy” caused considerable amounts of trauma and scarred many of those who they were practiced on, from which some never recovered from.

They used all of these violent and unnecessary techniques for many years, and some continue to (especially in other, more homophobic countries), but thankfully most conversion therapy clients are not physically harmed by them anymore.

Fortunately, these practices are being repressed and eradicated, slowly but surely, from the United States. We are taking strides towards making sure that these methods of “therapy” are no longer practiced, and we’re getting closer every day.

Remember- you can help, too. Go to protests, take a stand! As our own SAGA (Sexuality and Gender Acceptance) Club leader Mme Ledford says, “Many organizations like the Human Rights Campaign will share information about politicians and organizations that support conversion therapy and other harmful anti-LGBTQ practices, as well as how to get involved and make an impact. If this or other issues matter to you- get involved!”